


Hear Me

by PhoenixWillRise



Category: Grey's Anatomy
Genre: Gen, Levi doesn't quite like that, M/M, Mild Smut, Nico speaks up for Levi, Some angst, but they make up, in the back of Nico's car
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-06
Updated: 2019-02-06
Packaged: 2019-10-23 09:11:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,938
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17680592
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PhoenixWillRise/pseuds/PhoenixWillRise
Summary: Levi wants to assert himself more in the O.R. and he will not let anyone take away his chance to do so. Not even his boyfriend.





	Hear Me

**Author's Note:**

> Levi's voice is just so high and adorably squeaky. I think it would be hard to get his ideas and opinions heard in a room full of dominant and booming voices. But he'll get there. I know he will!

Levi was pacing back and forth in the hall narrowly avoiding frenzied nurses and rushing doctors. He was too busy fuming about what had happened during a major surgery that he had scrubbed in earlier.  


The patient kept coding as the surgeons attempted to operate on a young woman who had been involved in a major car crash incident.

And during the chaos, more than once did Levi attempt to suggest a possible way of finding the source of the patient’s internal bleeding without causing more stress on the patient. There was a constant flow of ideas being exchanged but Levi was having a hard time getting his idea heard. As he prepared himself to speak up, a familiar deep voice rang:

A voice that easily captured the chatty doctors' attention.

"How about we do what Levi just said instead of tackling the problem head on why don’t we try approaching it from a different angle. That would mean less bleeding, less strain on the heart. We could make an incision along the….”

(A/N: pardon the horrible, horrible medical description)

And he continued. Fully capturing their attention. 

The surgical  intern didn’t say anything. Not even when they finished the surgery and closed up the patient. Not even when Owen, in the rush of things, had turned to Nico to thank him for his excellent assessment and thinking.

Levi heard his name mentioned but he was too exhausted to hear what Nico was saying and frankly he needed to get out of the O.R.. As he tore his surgical gown off and whipped his mask away from his face he began to scrub his forearms and hands probably a little too vigorously. 

The last thing he saw was Nico assisting Link on reassembling the patient’s crushed pelvis.  


As he made his way to an on-call room for a well-deserved nap, he had time to think of what had happened. It's wasn’t  the ‘not getting credit thing’ that irritated him no it was the nagging voice in his head saying ‘why didn't they hear me. Why didn’t they listen to me.’

It had happened with Dr. Jo and now again. 

Levi  needed to talk to Nico before he exploded from all these thoughts rocketing around in his head.

He just needed to make Nico know that it was-

Levi turned around at the familiar hand resting on the small of his back. 

"Hey Dr. Schmidt great work on the surgery today. The patient is doing well in recovery. Usually you stay behind but you ran out so fast.”

"Yeah about that I wanted to talk to you about-” Levi started. Hoping to talk before something else came up. Which in a hospital was definitely likely.

"Um... I really can't right now. Link has this idea of fixing a fractured femur that might make recovery time faster. I really want to give him my two cents before he starts talking to the chief " interrupted Nico. 

"This will only take a second-” Levi attempted once more to get his boyfriend’s attention. 

Nico gripped his hand as if to say “we’ll talk later”  but Levi wasn't having it.

He clutched tightly at the hand touching his and pulled Nico into the empty on call room.

"Levi are you alright?” asked Nico. His usual smiling boyfriend had a troubling expression on his face as the orthopedic fellow took a moment to actually look at Levi instead of brushing him off to meet with Link.

Levi leaned against the door, his fingers automatically switched the lock to close on the doorknob before walking toward Nico. He took a seat beside him on the bed.

“No, I’m not ” Levi sighed. He just had to calmly express what he was feeling no stuttering, no yelling-

Despite those thought he exploded. 

"I need you to be my boyfriend not my protector not my defender, not my voice! I need to know that you _ know _ I'm more than capable enough of standing up for myself and holding my ground as a doctor."

"I just wanted them to hear your ideas-” Nico explained. But stopped at the look of exasperation on Levi’s face. 

"I know you did and I love you for it. But you just reiterating them? That’s not you being supportive of me. It's  _ you _ taking my voice, my chance to assert myself in this cutthroat place.”

Levi was on a roll that he didn’t notice Nico’s hands reaching out for his own as he stood up and began to pace the small room.

Nico sighed, “Look sometimes you need to speak up louder and I get it, it can be tough. So I was just trying to help you impress them-”

“I have done more than enough to earn my spot here in Grey's Hospital. And I'm going to make them see why I'm here. Not to be the goofy intern, or the meek mouse. To be a surgeon. One that people listen and respect. Okay?”

He breathed heavily as he ended his rant. It felt as if he were back in high school, taking P.E. attempting to catch his breath after he was done running 5 tortuous laps.

The intern looked up from where he was leaning against one of the beds to look at Nico. He observed the quiet doctor rubbing his palms the way Levi knew meant he was seriously thinking something over.

He waited for Nico to say anything. Something along the lines such as “you’re blowing this way out of proportion.” 

But he didn’t say a word.

Levi couldn't stand to stay here in the suddenly very awkward-feeling on-call room. 

He approached the pensive doctor, grasping his warm hand with his own sweaty one. Levi squeezed Nico’s hand once, his lungs expanding in relief at the warm pressure returned.

"I'll see you later” murmured Levi softly. 

"See you” Nico responded just as quietly.

Levi left feeling not as satisfied as he thought he would be.

***

After their conversation ,well more like one-sided conversation Levi had the oddest feeling that the handsome doctor was avoiding him. The intern reasoned that they  _ did  _ after all work in a huge hospital full of hundreds of patients, doctors, and nurses. 

Of course it would hard to find someone. Right?

But the paranoid side of him couldn’t help wondering how he hadn’t even caught a tiny glimpse of Nico as made his rounds.

Towards the end of his shift everything began winding down. He had a pounding headache and his eyes were itching and burning. 

‘Curse these contacts,’ thought Levi bitterly.

Levi really just wanted to lay down, turn himself into a blanket burrito and sleep. 

He hadn’t seen Nico since the on-call room. But after Nico missed their lunch date, he was more sure than anything that the fellow orthopedist was busy avoiding him.

He didn’t even remember changing into his regular clothes as he walked down toward the exit of the hospital. He wasn’t sure if Nico would be up to giving him a ride home today.

‘Great now he probably thinks I’m this pushy, moody guy. Ugh but I had to tell him. I had to be completely 100% hon-’ Levi was brought out of his negative thoughts at the sight of Nico jogging to match his fast paced walking.

Levi stopped abruptly, his overfilled backpack swinging around to hit a passing nurse.

“Oof! Hey!”

“Sorry! Sorry... my bad Julie!” exclaimed Levi. 

She playfully rolled her eyes waving a hand before heading toward the nurse station.

“Whoa you must be having some serious internal battle going on in that big brain of yours. You didn’t even turn when I called your name three times.”

Levi continued to stare up at Nico. Now he was the speechless one. He shook his head to clear his head.

“Look I really have been trying to find you. I didn’t want to to leave things like well you know..” trailed off Nico.

‘Oh here it comes-’ worried Levi. ‘He’s probably going to break things off.’

He bit his bottom lip as he waited for Nico to continue.

“Thanks for being honest, Levi. You’re right I should definitely not speak for you. And I’m sorry for doing that to you. You are perfectly capable of handling yourself. You are an intelligent, competent, amazing person-doctor and next time and there will be a next time you show all those surgeons that Levi Schmidt is a force to be reckoned with.”

Levi was blushing from head to toe. Whoa he was not expecting those words to come out. He tried to lighten things up a little.

“I was loving everything until that last line. God I just want to be respected not freaking run for President, Nico,” teased Levi.

“Ha-ha you’re so funny” Nico started sarcastically “ But no seriously, just know that I support you. And I really care for you. You have these brilliant ideas and it would be a shame for the others not to notice. I would never want to take away your moment.”  


Levi shifted from his right foot to his left, his lips couldn’t help the small shy smile from fully spreading across his face.

Nico looked down at his feet before looking into Levi’s bright green eyes.

The fellow rubbed the back of his neck nervously,“So are we good? Can I touch you?”

Levi rolled his eyes fondly at the puppy eyes coming from his boyfriend.

“Yes we’re good because we talked it out like mature adults in a relationship.”

Nico nodded with one of those smiles that made Levi’s knees feel like jelly.

He took a couple of steps closer until their chests touched. Levi could smell the delicious,masculine cologne Nico wore and the smell of coffee on his breath.

Levi looked up before whispering, “And you can touch me. I always want you too.”

He shuddered at the low moan that rumbled in Nico’s chest.

“Too much?” asked Levi. He felt warm hands rest on his jean covered hips. Thumbs hooked on the belt loops.

“No no no...if I said something like I want to push you against the nearest wall and kiss you until you make those sweet pretty noises I like than yes that would be considered too much.”

Levi blew a breath through his red lips, his heart pounding at the husky tone in Nico’s rich voice.

“Whew I definitely would not be oppose to that.”

Nico ran his fingers down Levi’s bare arm, chuckling at the goosebumps rising before entwining their palms and fingers together.

Nico pulled him closer which was pretty much impossible at how close in proximity they were already. Each breath they took the other could feel on their face. He bend down to whisper into Levi’s ear: 

“Let’s go be “mature adults” and “talk” about it some more in my car. Hmm?”

Levi made the most embarrassing croaking-like sound but Nico saved him from drowning in his embarrassment by pulling him toward the exit of the hospital.

He’d never notice how spacious the back of Nico’s car was until Nico had him spread across the backseat. Thank God for tinted windows.

***

The next day Owen hand-picked him for a  major trauma surgery and it was what happened next that Levi considered almost as satisfying as what Nico had done with his tongue to him last night.

Dr. Owen Hunt directly asked him on what he thought would be the best way to approach this type of surgery. He proceeded to tell him exactly how and why. And Dr. Hunt  along with the other surgeons listened.

They listened to him.

  


**Author's Note:**

> Ignore any tiny mistakes! Tell me what you think!


End file.
